Sabah FC striker Alto Linus (right) competes for the ball with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) defender in the Malaysia Cup at the Likas Stadium, October 29, 2021. — Bernama pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Sabah FC continue to find victory hard to come by in the 2021 Malaysia Cup campaign as they fell 2-0 to defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in their third Group D match at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu today.
JDT, who are also this season’s Super League champions, needed just four minutes to draw first blood when Ahmad Hazwan Bakri latched onto a weak header by Sabah defender Nazirul Naim Che Hashim to slot home the opening goal.
Nine minutes later JDT made it 2-0 when Leandro Sebastian Velazquez sent a through ball for Gonzalo Gabriel Cabrera to apply the finishing touch.
Sabah, coached by Datuk Ong Kim Swee, then tightened their game and had a great chance to reduce the deficit in the 15th minute but striker N. Thanabalan’s pile-driver could only rattle the JDT goal post.
In another Group D match at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium, striker Darren Lok bagged a brace in the 10th minute and 81st minute to inspire Petaling Jaya (PJ) City FC to a 3-1 win over Kelantan FC.
His brace was sandwiched between R. Kogileswaran 18th-minute goal while visitors Kelantan grabbed a consolation goal through Christos Intzidis off a free kick in the 36th minute.
JDT, who have won all three Group D matches, are sitting pretty at the top with nine points while PJ City (4 pts) are second, Sabah (2 pts) third and Kelantan (1 pt) in last spot.
Meanwhile, Adriano Narcizo’s 54th-minute goal handed home team Melaka United FC their third straight win in Group C when they downed Kelantan United FC 2-1 at the Hang Jebat Stadium.
Melaka had earlier gone 1-0 up through their Haitian striker, Sony Norde in the 25th minute before Kelantan United restored parity through midfielder Shuhei Fukai in the 43rd minute.
Melaka lead Group C with nine points, followed by Super League runners-up Kedah Darul Aman FC (3 pts) points from two matches and Kelantan United last with not a single point.
The other team in the group, Negri Sembilan FC, had earlier pulled out of the competition after almost all their players and several team officials tested positive for Covid-19. — Bernama